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In the News – N.Korea’s New Elite Analyzed

The North Korean elite of Kim Jong-un’s reign are predominantly male graduates of Kim Il-sung University born in Pyongyang or South Pyongan Province.

According to Unification Ministry analysis of 106 core cadres in the military and Workers Party, 35.5 percent were graduates of Kim Il-sung University, the alma mater of Kim Jong-il, followed by Kim Jong-un’s alma mater Kim Il-sung Military University with 17.7 percent, and Kim Chaek University of Technology with 9.7 percent.

Some 18.6 percent were born in South Pyongan Province, 16.3 percent in Pyongyang, 16.3 percent in North Hamgyong Province, and 14.6 percent in South Hamgyong Province. A whopping 94.3 percent are men.

Only 2 percent of cabinet ministers are women, significantly lower than the 11.5 percent in China and 7 percent in Russia.

While the cabinet mostly consists of relatively young technocrats in their 50s or 60s, the Workers Party remains heavily dominated by loyal apparatchiks in their 60s to 80s. The ministry explained that those who have been loyal to three generations of Kim Dynasty from Kim Il-sung to Kim Jong-un form the core of the party, but cabinet members seem more practically oriented.